Fitzpatrick, Ko win McCormack Medals

Matthew Fitzpatrick
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Tracy Wilcox
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By Cassie Stein

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Matthew Fitzpatrick, recently crowd the U.S. Amateur champion, and New Zealand teen Lydia Ko have earned the Mark H. McCormack Medal as the top players in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. It marks Ko's third consecutive year at the top of the amateur rankings.

Fitzpatrick, of England, has enjoyed an outstanding summer. His good play began at the Open Championship, where he was low amateur. Two weeks later, he was the runner-up at the England Amateur Championship, and followed that with the U.S. Amateur Championship. He's the first Englishman to win it since 1911. With that victory, he secured a place in the field at the 2014 U.S. Open and Open Championship, and likely will receive an invitation to play in the Masters.

“I’m absolutely delighted to win the McCormack Medal," Fitzpatrick said. "For this to come along at the same time as winning the U.S. Amateur Championship is really special. I had a fair idea that if I had a good finish I might be able to scrape it but it was great that it went my way. It has been an amazing few weeks for me ever since the Open and I am really happy to have achieved so much.”

Fitzpatrick will join the roster at Northwestern after he represents Great Britain and Ireland in the Walker Cup, to be played at the National Golf Links of America in Southampton, N.Y., Sept. 7-8.

Ko, meanwhile, played in all four major championships in 2013. Ranked No. 19 in the Rolex Rankings as an amateur, Ko won the New Zealand Women’s Open in February. She also tied for third at the ISPS Handa Australian Women’s Open. Ko tied for 17th at the Wegmans LPGA Championship and was 25th in the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

Ko said, “It means a lot. And to have won the medal three years in a row makes it more special.”

In 2012, Ko received was low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open, advanced to the semifinals at the U.S. Girls’ Junior and won the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

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Photo Courtesy of Hawaii State Golf Association
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